Curt, welcome to OCF! You have found the very best place to get correct up to date medical info and support. We will help you get thru this.

The feeding tube has been hottly debated many times on this forum. David is one of the "no tube" members and I am one of the "get the tube" members. While we sometimes disagree, we both have the best interest of the patient in mind. I prefer to have every tool available to use to get you thru this. Its so much easier on the patient to already have the tube in place than to need it when its not there. You will be a bit sore for a couple days after getting it. Then practice using it so you will be familiar with it before you need to use it. I have many tips to help you learn how to use it effectively.

Try to eat all your favorites now. During treatment your sense of taste will change and things wont taste like they should. You also may have some difficulty swallowing so you dont want to go into this with any cravings. Eat it all now and then have seconds.

During treatment, nutrition will play a huge role in how easily you get thru this. Your body will need a minimum of 2500 calories and 48 oz of water every single day. Thats the bare minimum, more is much better!!! You cant skimp one day and thing you will make it up the next, playing catch up never works and you will end up in the hospital for malnutrition and dehydration. Its happened to me several times.

Line up all your caregivers and helpers now. Anybody who offers their help write their name and contact info down and tell them when the time comes you will call on them. Now is not the time to be proud, you will need help even for little things like taking the dog out or doing a load of laundry. Helpers can do many little things that will mean a whole lot to you when you are down. If you have young children, a playdate or taking the kids to the movies or out for some fun can be a huge help to everyone.

Keep all your medical info handy. I would take a notebook and get a business card from every single doctor or professional I had. I stapled them on the back page of my notebook so when I needed a doc right away it was easy to find them. Even if I wasnt able to talk, my son could get the right doctor by checking their biz card.

When you have time, please add a signature so we can help you easier. At the top tabs, click on "My Stuff", on the drop down menu click "Edit Profile". Scroll to the bottom and type your info in the white box and hit 'submit'.

Best of luck today with your surgery.